John stephenson



(No Model.)

J. STEPHENSON.

GAR BODY TRUSS.

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JOHN STEPHENSON, on NEW YORK, N. r.

CAR-BODY TRUSS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 319,526, dated June 9, 1885.

Application filed July 16, 1884.

T0 ctZZ whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, JOHN STEPHENsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Body Trusses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is one of a class of tram-cars having the sills undertrussed to give necessary stiffness to the car-body and sustainthe end platforms.

My improvement consists in the sill forming the upper chord of the supporting-truss, and having recesses with end walls adapted to the ends of the strut-boxes, preventing their displacement by the thrust of the strut braces. Provision is also made to facilitate repairs of .the car running-gear by enabling removal of the wheels, axles, boxes, and springs without disorganizing the truss.

In carrying out my invention I elongate the pedestal bed-plate, increase the depth and length of its stiffening-flanges, and widen its wing-walls, and also join the front and rear wingwalls at their feet by union-bars of strength suflicient to carry the feet of the strut-stays, which stays have preferably at their upper ends adjusting-nuts bearing against the face of. the strut-socket, by which nuts the elevation of the ends of the car-body may be adjusted.

That the adjusting-nuts on the strut-braces may always have proper bearings, their contacting faces are of hemispherical form adapted to the concave seat of the strut-boxes; or I produce the same effect by Washers with flat sides touching the faces of the nuts and convex sides fitting the strut-boxes. The strutboXcs holding the upper ends of the strutbraees tend to slide outward by pressure of the strut-braces; but this I prevent by making the outer end of the strut-box with the requisite bearing surface, and indent that end into the sill sufficient to afford the desirable abutment for the strut-box.

The central brace-bar uniting the two ped-,

estals has at each end a foot secured to a union-bar of the pedestal. The toes of the feet, like those of the strut-braces, form abut- 5C) ments fitting the ends of the bridge-bar.

(No model.)

The wood sill of the car-body constitutes the upper chord of the truss, and having toward each end a strut-box holding an adjust able strutbrace with its lower end secured to the pedestal-foot, both pedestals at one side being connected by the central brace-stay with its feet secured to the pedestal.

The toes of the feet of the brace-stays and struts form abutments against which the ends of the bridge-bars abut, thus combining the upper and lower chords between which the pedestals are seen red, forming queen-posts and completing the truss.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view showing the sill, pedestals, struts,.and strut-boXes of a tram-car and illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing one of the strut-boxes. Fig. 3 is a section through one of the strut-boxes, showing the means for separating the strut-bearings. Fig. 4 is a side view of the sill, pedestals, struts, and

strut-boxes of a tram-car, illustrating another mode of securing the bearing for a strut-box. Fig. 5 is a cross-section of a pedestal.

In that class of tram-cars in which the bodies are not thoroughly supported and braced by the frames there is a tendency of the ends or platforms of the body portion to sink under the weight applied to them, to prevent which strut braces or stays have been extended between the pedestals and strut boxes or bearings upon the sills, which are therefore braced and held in place.

It has been customary to connect the strutboXes to the sills by means of bolts, the result being that the strains upon the bolts cause them ,to crush the wood ,so that the strut-boxes become loosened andmove toward the ends of the sills, which sink with the platforms.

To prevent any movement of the strut-boxes upon the sills,I recess or notch the latter,so as to afford abutments for some portion of the strut-box, which will thereforeremain in its position regardless of the weight upon the platform,and independently of the bearings of the bolts.

The endwise bearings of the strut-boxes may be secured by different constructions. Thus in Fig. 1 each strut-box A is shown as provided with a cross-piece or lip or lug, a, the forward face, a), of which bears against the face y of a notch or recess, 1), formed in the sill B, to which the strut box is held by means of bolts.

The foot 6 of each strut-brace is fitted to a chamber between lugs s s on the union-bar d, joining the wing-walls c c of the adjacent pedestal E, and has its bearing at the upper end against the strut-box, so that the strut-brace will tend to maintain the horizontal position of the sill and platform, while the strains tending to cause the strut-brace to force the strut-box outward will have no effect in ac complishing this result, owing to the bearingsurface afforded by the face 3 for the bearingface or abutment as of the strut-box.

Instead of making the bearing-face 00 on a central cross-piece of the strut-box,.it may be upon the end of the strut-box, as shown in Fig. 3, and the notch b may be cut in the under side of the sill to afford abearing-face, y, for the end of the strut-boX, as shown in the said figure, the result being the same as in construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

In order to maintain the horizontal position of the platforms and prevent them from sinking in consequence of the wearing of any portion of the supporting structure, I provide means for lengthening the strut-brace or increasing the distance between the .bearings thereof. Thus in Fig. 1 the strut-brace is shown as consisting of an eye-rod having its foot connected to a pedestal and threaded at, the upper end, and provided with a nut, m, which may be turned so as to increase the distance between the lower and the upper bearings of the strut-brace and take up any slack.

As any adjustment of the strut-brace will alter to a greater or less degree its angle to the strut-box, and will therefore result in an imperfect bearing of the nut against the boX, I form each strut-box with a concave socket or recess, 20, adapted to receive a semi-spherical collar, a, through which passes the strutbrace, so that it can turn loosely therein, and that the nut m may bear against the flat face of the collar n at all times with a perfect bearing, while whatever may be the angle of the strut to the box the collar n will always h a perfect fit to its bearing.

Instead of using a collar, a, separate from the nut,the latter mayin some cases be formed with a semi spherical end adapted to the socket to.

In another case,filedon even date with this and bearing Serial N 0. 137,903, I have shown some features common to both cases, which are not claimed herein.

Without limiting myself to the precise construetion and arrangement of parts shown, I claim- 1. A tram-car having strut-boxes with their outer ends embedded into the under sides of the sills, the end wall of the cavity affording an abutment for the end face of the strut-box, as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A tram-car having strut-boXes with their outer ends bearing against shoulders of the sill and holding the upper ends of strut-braces, as and for the purposes set forth.

3. A tram'car having strut-boxes with their outerlends bearing against shoulders of the sill and holding the upper ends of strut-braces forth.

5. A tram-car having strut-boxes with their outer ends bearing against shoulders of the sill and holding the upper ends of strut-braces which have their lower ends fast to the bot,- toms of the pedestals, and coupling-bars between the pedestal-bottoms, the toeof each strut-foot and coupling-brace-bar foot forming abutments for ends of bridge-bars below the pedestals, as and for the purposes set forth.

6. Atram-car with trussed sill,having strutbraces with their feet secured at or near the bottom of the pedestals, and a coupling-barwith its foot secured at the opposite side of the pedestal, with a bridge-bar to each pedestal with ends abutting against the toes of the brace and coupling-bar feet, as and for the purposes set forth.

7. A tram-car with sills trussed,the sill forming the upper chord of the truss, and shaped to form abutments receiving the thrust of the strut braces, as and for the purposes set forth.

8. A tram-car with trussed sill, the lower chord of the truss consisting of two strut-boxes, two strut-braces, two bridge-bars, four unionbars of two pedestals, and coupling-bar, as and for the purposes set forth.

9. Atram-car with trussed sill, the upper chord being the sill with shoulder-abutments for the strut-boxes in which are the two strutbraces with their feet fast to the bottom of the pedestals, a coupling-bar with its feet fast to the pedestals, and two bridge-bars with their ends abutting against the feet of the strut-braces and coupling-bars, as and for the purposes set forth.

10. In a tram-car, the combination of the bars, and strut-braces, as and for the purposes set forth.

12. A tram-car with trussed sill, the upper chord of the truss being the sill,with shoulderabutments against which are thrust the strutboxes in which are strut-stays with their feet' Q,

fast to the bottom of pedestals, which in like manner hold the feet of the coupling-bar, and

a bridge-bar with its ends abutting against In testimony whereofIhavesigned my name the feet of struts and coupling-bar, all com to this specification in the presence of two 10 structed to permit the bridge-bar to be insubscribing witnesses. serted and removed without disturbing the 5 truss, the pedestals acting as queen-posts for JOHN STEPHENSON the truss, and also sustaining the integrity of Witnesses: the lower chord in absence of the bridge-bars, S. A. STEPHENSON, 4 as and for the purposes set forth. WM. J. WALKER. 

